How to Remove a Tick

1. Use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin's surface as possible.
2. Pull upward with steady, even pressure. Don't twist or jerk the tick; this can cause the mouth-parts to break off and remain in the skin. If this happens, remove the mouth-parts with tweezers. If you are unable to remove the mouth easily with clean tweezers, leave it alone and let the skin heal.
3. After removing the tick, thoroughly clean the bite area and your hands with rubbing alcohol, an iodine scrub, or soap and water.
4. Dispose of a live tick by submersing it in alcohol, placing it in a sealed bag/container, wrapping it tightly in tape, or flushing it down the toilet. Never crush a tick with your fingers.

  Avoid folklore remedies such as "painting" the tick with nail polish or petroleum jelly, or using heat to make the tick detach from the skin. Your goal is to remove the tick as quickly as possible–not waiting for it to detach.

Ticks Love Kids

Ticks Love Kids

A study of Lyme infection in Connecticut found that nearly half the offending tick bites happened while the victim was playing outside, making children the group most at risk for Lyme disease. Many others were doing yard work or gardening when the infection occurred. Hiking was a relatively infrequent contact activity, the study said. The danger is not in the woods so much as in your backyard.

Stafford recommends moving children’s play equipment away from wooded or brushy areas frequented by ticks. That may also mean paying more attention to sun protection as the sandbox comes out from under the tree. Kids should be checked, head to toe, for ticks after outdoor play.

Tips on Reducing Tick Populations in Your Yard

Tips on Reducing Tick Populations in Your Yard

Remove leaf litter.

Clear tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edge of lawns. Place a 3-ft wide barrier of      wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to restrict tick migration into recreational areas.

Mow the lawn frequently.

Stack wood neatly and in a dry area (discourages rodents).

Keep playground equipment, decks, and patios away from yard edges and trees.

Discourage unwelcome animals (such as deer, raccoons, and stray dogs) from entering your yard by constructing fences.

Remove old furniture, mattresses, or trash from the yard that may give ticks a place to hide

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has developed a comprehensive Tick Management Handbook[PDF – 8.53 MB] for preventing tick bites. 

Why Prune Young Young Trees?

I was attending a CHS cheer leading competition for my daughter at Sacred Heart University recently and noticed these Oak trees  in front of the arena.  First let me say that I was impressed with the level of tree/shrub care and the new plantings on the campus.  I noticed these trees side by side and they are a good example of why younger newly panted trees should be pruned.  The tree on the left has two competing co-dominant leaders.  There is a higher probability of the tree splitting apart in higher winds.  One of these leaders should have been removed when the tree was smaller.  The tree on the right has a single straight leader which is much stronger and desirable. Keep this in mind when pruning your smaller trees.

Squirrels in your house?

Removing a limb from an old mature oak thats close to this roof.  While trees have many benefits including  shading this house, they have to be trimmed back from time to time.  This prevents allowing squirrels to jump onto roofs, and possibly damaging the home.  Moss buildup on roofs is sometimes caused by reduced air circulation and excessive shade when a tree's branches are to close.
And Remember - Well Pruned Trees Thrive!

Knock on wood...or a Birch Tree

  Birch trees are wonderful to look at, especially in the winter.  The river birch with an abundance of peeling bark is more resistant to insects than the more common white birch. I came across this white birch tree with evidence of bronze birch borer damage.  Notice the exit holes.  Proper cultural care and if required, a well timed pesticide application can control this pest.

Swingset crushed!

I was called to this job over this past summer.  A scary situation for sure, but luckily no kids were using this swings at the time the large branch failed.  Upon closer inspection I found that the branch was infested with carpenter ants.